A personal computer (PC) is often used to send email messages and attached files over the Internet to other PC's. The attached files may include many types of digital format files for example, text files, PDF files, MP3 files, JPEG files, MPEG files, and TIFF files. Various PC network configurations such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) may be used to transfer or migrate media from one PC to another.
Typically, media and data are transferred from a first PC to a server or through multiple servers to a second PC or to multiple PC's. Also, in various PC network configurations, media and data may be migrated directly between one PC and another, between a PC and a server, or between a server and archival storage, for example. As a result, a user is able to distribute media and data in a PC-based environment.
A PC is often used to access media stored on a media peripheral via a wired link. The accessing of media stored on such media peripherals involves the: (1) exchange of media meta information, e.g., media file names, sizes, dates, resolution and format; (2) uploading of media to the media peripheral; or (3) downloading of media from the media peripheral. As a result, a user is able to extract media for printing, routing, or processing or load media for playback or review. Even so, the overall process for doing so is a manual process that may require significant user interaction.
For example, in the case of using a PDA (personal digital assistant), a user may currently have a calendar of appointments stored on the PDA. In order to download the calendar to a PC, the user: (1) removes the PDA from its case; (2) attaches a cable between the PC and the PDA; (3) powers up the PDA; (4) places the PDA in a download mode; (5) runs a PC application that copies the calendar file from the PDA to the PC via the cable; (6) powers down the PDA; (7) removes the cable; (8) places the PDA into its case; (9) and exits the PC application. Such a process is very tedious and time consuming, and, especially when problems arise, requires a fairly savvy user.
Also, media and data may be uploaded from a PC to a media peripheral in a similar manner. For example, a user may download an operating system update for his PDA (personal digital assistant) from the Internet to his PC. The user may then follow a process, similar to the reverse of the process described above, to download the operating system update to his PDA.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.